In practice, it is known that, for example in the production of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, filling material is fed by a filling machine through a filling tube of a clipping machine into a tubular packaging casing which is stored on the filling tube and which is closed at its front end, i.e. the end pointing in the feeding direction of the filling material by a closure means, like a closure clip. The tubular packaging casing is pulled-off from the filling tube while being filled by the feeding pressure. At least during the filling process, a casing brake applies a frictional force to the tubular packaging casing while being pulled-off from the filling tube, in order to control the pull-off speed and to ensure an at least approximately constant filling degree. After a predetermined volume of filling material has been filled into said tubular packaging casing, a displacer arrangement with a first and a second displacer unit which can each be formed by a pair of reversibly moveable displacement elements, a plait-like portion of the tubular packaging casing is formed. The clipping machine then places and closes at least one closure clip at the plait-like portion forming the rear end of the sausage shaped product, i.e. the end pointing against the feeding direction by respective closing tools which are reversibly movable towards the plait-like portion.
From EP patent application 1 428 437, a clipping machine is known including a casing brake assembly. The casing brake assembly is attached to a frame element of the clipping machine. The casing brake itself is of a closed circular construction and has a closed circular lip which surrounds completely the filling tube. A fork-shaped holding element including two rakes, accommodates and supports the casing brake in its operation position. For removing the casing brake from the clipping machine, the casing brake assembly has to be shifted from the filling tube by moving the casing brake assembly along the filling tube in the filling direction. Thereafter, the casing brake may be removed out of the fork-shaped holder in a direction vertically to the longitudinal axis of the filling tube.
A further known casing brake assembly is disclosed in EP patent application 1 987 719. This casing brake assembly includes two brake rings. A first brake ring is mounted on the filling tube and has a brake surface arranged at its outer circumference. A second brake ring coaxially surrounds the first brake ring on the filling tube. The outer or second brake ring has a circular lip acting on the inner or first brake ring for applying a frictional force on the tubular packaging casing material guided between the two brake rings. For adjusting the brake force, the outer brake ring is shifted along the filling tube relative to the inner, brake ring. For removing at least the outer brake ring from the filling tube, e.g. in order to refill tubular packaging casing material to the filling tube, the outer brake ring has to be shifted in the filling direction and has to be removed from the filling tube.
For these known assemblies, additional space has to be provided in the region of the outflow end of the filling tube for removing the casing brake assembly or parts therefrom, respectively, to provide the required space, the filling tube and/or the clipping machine which is positioned downstream the filling tube, have to be arranged such that it or they can be reversibly moved in the filling direction, which requires an additional effort in their construction and additional space at the installation site.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a casing brake assembly which overcomes the above mentioned drawbacks and which allows a simplified and compact construction of a clipping machine.